Caliper brakes are well known and widely used within the industrial equipment industry, as well as other industries, to provide a braking force on a vehicle. Caliper brakes may be provided in a variety of forms including, for example, mechanically, hydraulically or pneumatically actuated caliper brakes, and spring actuated and hydraulically released caliper brakes. Mechanically actuated caliper brakes may include, for example, cam actuating mechanisms and ball-ramp actuating mechanisms.
Caliper brake mounting assemblies suffer from a number of disadvantages. In some cases, in order to ensure proper functioning of the brake, minimal clearance must be provided between the mounting bracket and the brake components to which it is secured. This minimal clearance allows the brake assembly some freedom of motion relative to the mounting bracket. In many cases, the caliper brake will “droop” in the horizontal direction, causing the brake pads on the stator assemblies to rub the rotor. Over time, the rubbing of the brake pad on the rotor can cause uneven brake pad wear and a high pitch noise during non-braking.
In an attempt to overcome this problem the mounting bracket has also been located on one side of the brake assembly. However, such can often result in twisting of the brake assembly. Specifically, during braking, a dynamic rotating force induces a moment force between the braking components and the mounting bracket, and this force causes twisting. Inconsistencies in the rotor upon which the braking force is applied causes variances in the moment force acting on the mounting bracket, thereby causing twisting and untwisting of the brake. This repeated twisting and untwisting results in uneven brake pad wear and a low pitch noise during braking.
Thus, there is a need for a caliper brake having an improved mounting mechanism capable of overcoming one or more of the deficiencies discussed above.